When R&B singer Ne-yo came out with his hit debut album In My Own Words, a number of existing singers were shaken.
Here was this talented young songwriter trying his hand at singing songs he wrote. Not everyone who is a star in the music industry can write their own material.
It is all very well being able to belt out Mariah Carey vocals, but you are more respected if you can do that and write your own songs.
People like Michael Jackson, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Brian McKnight and latest addition, Frank Ocean, have made a good living from writing songs for others and themselves. These facts are probably what inspired the creators of the reality competition series Platinum Hit .
Coming out on Vuzu (channel 116), every Tuesday at 7.30pm, the show invites a dozen singer/ songwriters to compete in songwriting challenges.
In every episode the competitors are given a theme to follow, and come up with clever lyrics and melodies.
Everyone in the competition is looking to find a catchy tune that will be an instant sell to the judges, but due to the limited time and vigorous conditions of the competition, not everyone is as creative as they would like to be.
There is a prize at the end and in this case the winner gets a recording deal with RCA/Jive, a publishing deal with The Writing Camp and $100 000. Not bad for penning a few words that make sense and putting a melody to them.
The show’s guest judges include Leona Lewis, Jermaine Dupri and Taio Cruz, who are all well-known songwriters.
Fittingly, Kara DioGuardi is the head judge as she has incredible knowledge and experience on the subject. Singer Jewel comes on as both host and judge, which can be confusing as it is not a common thing in these kinds of shows.
The beauty of this show is that it appreciates the names written next to songs in small fonts that no one often cares to read, let alone know.
When some of these writers come out with albums and you do a wiki search on them, you are surprised that they have been in the game for the longest time. Thanks to Platinum Hit, we get an understanding of the art of song- writing from the creatives themselves.
• If you fancy yourself talented in this regard then check this show out and rate yourself.